"Art Punk" is such an exclusionary term - at least to these ears - that many bands who use it as a means of self description sell themselves short. Sure, it's in the ear of the beholder, but how many Stooge-deprived punters, brought up on the stun guitar-driven Destroy All Monsters of Uncle Ron's vintage, mistakenly tracked down that band's back catalogue only to be sorely pissed off with the, um, seriously, avant garde model featuring Niagra and the Miller brothers? Was GG Allin "Art Punk", at least on the score of gross offensiveness? All these are questions that can disappear up their own post-modernist arses. Fear not, Fans of Real Rock Action, we won;t bore you with philosophical arguments. And you can rest easy when Detroit's Sillies bandy about the (F)art Punk label. This disc rocks righteously with roots solidly placed in left-of-field English '70s pop-rock and 60s punk soil.The Sillies' main claim to fame seems to be that they were the first Dee-troit act to consciously use the term "Punk" to brand their music. (Brave thing, when you think about it, as this was a term originally coined for cellmates who bent over to retrieve soap.) The "punk" term eventually became devalued with the onset of the sickeningly bland "New Wave", but early in the piece using that label was hardly a stepping stone to commercial success. As if The Sillies gave a shit - but it was enough to get you excluded from most cover band venues. The band turned to promoting their own shows at places like Bookies, the club they opened, and shared stages with the likes of Gang War, DAM, the Dead Boys and the Rob Tyner Band.A quarter of a century later, The Sillies are back (at least, playing with long-time members Ben and Kirsten in the ranks) and their first album is here. Long time between firsts, I know, but the verdict is that the disc is worth the wait. Exactly what sort of music The Sillies play is open to speculation. "Art Punk" might have been a means for separating the Truly Offensive from the Ramones Clones back in the '70s, but doesn't quite cut it. Singer-guitarist Ben Waugh is the one constant on this disc and his Asheton-ised guitar is a gritty counterpoint to the alternately bar room band piano/keyboard bed. He also lays down some bracing noise ("If Your Girlfriend Loves You", "Heavy Breathing") that will more than satisfy.

Much of this disc is retrospective material, being the work of several line-ups. Some of it's live. The variety underlines the fact that this was probably a band intent on not being pigeonholed. Some of it is distinctly low-fi ("Apparition" was recorded via two open mics, while "County Fair" is another contemporary recording that fights to be heard) and while it might sound like a patchy approach, it actually knits well.Highlights? "Sex for the Handicapped" barrels along on the back of a boogie piano line, courtesy of Dylan sideman Throbbing Bob Wilson, while "Lesbo Love" is a candidate for theme song at the next Mardis Gras (the Dykes on Bikes would love it.) "Real Live Love" might have garnered Cure and Joy Division comparisons when originally released (as a virtual Waugh solo song in the '80s), but sounds for all the world like it fell off a disc of Nuggets outtakes. "Love You to Death" gives any number of necrophillia songs a run for their money (we're interpreting big time here, and how many punk records incorporate a harpsichord solo?) "No Big Deal" shows a band that could really play (as opposed to one that made noise for noise's sake - not always a Bad Thing, of course, but limiting in the places it can go. We are more Rock than Punk around these parts.) And did I say that Wayne Kramer and Dennis Thompson guest on the sizzling closer, "Punk Rock Girl"? I have now. Source: The Barman in I-94 BarBuy it HERE !

Produced by 4-Eyed Thomas.Dolkows: Ulf: guitar, vocals / Peter: bass / Lillis: vocals, guitar / Peter: drums + G-A Krantz: backing vocals."...I saw an early Dolkows show at a shady joint in Malmö and got knocked out completely . A few years later they opened for the Hoodoo Gurus and although the australians did a great show , they were overshadowed by the Dolkows, whose first mini-album "Story Of Robi & The Nudes" along with the single "Pinochet Is Walking On My Street", ranks amongst the most magnificent moments in the history of Swedish rock music... L-P Anderson (Voodoo Dolls, Cry, Royal Beat Conspiracy); liner notes of "A Real Cool Time Revisited" (2010).The Dolkows were started around 1985 in Malmö, Sweden. The group includes "Lillis" Rosander: vocals/guitar, Peter Andersson: bass, Ulf Bragsjö: guitar and Peter Dolkows: drums.They released a mini-album "The Story Of Robi & The Nudes" in 1987, two lp's: "Levitation" (Amigo 1989) and "Hush" (MGV 1992) and several singles (five ?). They toured mainly in Sweden and Finland and they broke up in 1993.NB: The title on the front of the mini lp sleeve reads "Story Of Robin & The Nudes", on the spine it's "The Story Of Robi & The Nudes"...Thanks to Fabien & Mr D.!Buy It HERE !NB: The Dolkows have a web site now (see comments): check it HERE !It currently holds some old demos, plus a live recording from a gig in Lund.

"...I called this my Glam record at the time. The songs and sound really reminded me of those old records of mine. Mott, Lou, Dolls... The tune Boom Willie was written about Willie Alexander. If ya don't know who he is, shame on ya!"or"...A cover of "Gimme Danger" (does he get a washing machine when he completes the eight-song Raw Power cycle?) isn't the only overly familiar attribute of "Bliss". Dahl's not exactly a font of novel ideas, and his endless variations on the same themes — especially as he's become a studio hermit (pianist Brock is the only outsider here) — make his soundalike albums less interchangeable than indistinguishable. If he's gonna keep writing the same tunes over and over, at least he should try varying the timbre or style of his guitar or voice..." Trouser Press Buy It Here !

PORCELAIN BUS Sacred Relics cd 1988Indignation* / My Family* / The Well Is Dry / The Hands Have Control / Talk To Me / Stell Bros. / End Of The Line / Katie's Baby / On Sunday / Mother's Milk.Produced by Brett Myers & engineered by Alan Thorne except * produced by Rob Younger.Porcelain Bus: I. James: vocals / R. McKiernan: guitar / P. Patrick: bass / J. Nolan: drums."Sacred Relics" is a compilation that includes the first Porcelain Bus single "Indignation/My Family" produced by Rob Younger for Citadel Records in 1986. It includes also their second single "The Well Is Drive/The Hands Have Control". "The Well Is Drive" was a bonus track of the "Talking To God" cd but not the b side "The Hands Have Control" .

The other six songs are taken from the mini lp "Steel Bros." recorded for Citadel Records and always produced by B. Myers , the lead guitarist of Died Pretty. These ten songs appear only here in cd.Thanks to Mr D. !Buy it here !

2/07/2011

Gary Moore passed away while on holiday in Spain last night. I was not an huge fan of Gary Moore but...I remember that he has been the guitarist of one of my fave band during the Black Rose period...I remember his first album "Back On the Streets"I remember "Parisienne Walkways" & "Don't Believe A Word"I remember his tribute to the great Peter Green: "Blues For Greeny"I remember that life is so ....Repose en paix, Gary

2/02/2011

PORCELAIN BUS Talking To Godcd/lp 1998Can't Work It Out / Driver / In The Box? / Rusty Rails / Walk Away / Rats / Walters Boy / Own Little World / Terminal / Talking To God / Talk To Me* / Mothers Milk* / Clockwork* / The Well Is Dry* (* cd bonus tracks).Engineer: Alan Thorne, producer: Brett Myers .Porcelain Bus: I. James: vocals / R. McKiernan: guitar / P. Patrick: bass / J. Nolan: drums + back-up vocals on "Walk Away" by J. Howard & A. Crowe."...But those who kept their allegiance to the band were rewarded, because it turned out that Porcelain Bus did indeed have a classic record in them, and that record was the brilliant 1988 lp "Talking To God". The ten songs on this lp fit together perfectly, with a great mix of strong rockers and softer tracks. It was their fourth time in the studio and third working with Died Pretty guitarist Brett Myers as producer (Rob Younger had done the first single), and it seemed that everyone had learned their role well by this point. The songs have a great sense of dynamics, something that hadn’t always been there before.After "Talking To God" Porcelain Bus made a heavy commitment to making things happen, touring heavily in Australia. But as often happens, the big push to break things open created fissures in the band, and out of one crack popped John Nolan, who quit as drummer..." Source: ToshmeisterThe cd version add 4 bonus tracks: "Talk To Me" & " Mothers Milk" are from the 1988 mini lp"Steel Bros" (Citadel), "Clockwork" is the b side of the third single "Our Little World" (Citadel,1988) and "The Well Is Dry" is the a side of the second single (Citadel,1987).Buy "Talking To God" HERE!Thanks to DD the greatest australian rock collector !